Amazon’s Jeff Bezos continued to drive a Honda long after becoming a billionaire — and it reveals why he’s so successful

Jeff Bezos is worth over $100 billion, but he is still a frugal spender as Amazon CEO.

When he first became rich, Bezos upgraded his Chevy Blazer to a Honda Accord.

Frugality is one of Amazon’s leadership principles and has helped the company succeed in delivering what customers want.

Jeff Bezos is the richest person in the world, but even as a billionaire he drove around town in a Honda Accord.

The surprisingly frugal founder of retail giant Amazon watched his expenses closely when his vision was just a start-up. After the company’s IPO introduced Bezos to great wealth, he remained a humble spender.

From the driver’s seat of his Accord, Bezos told Bob Simon during a 1999 “60 Minutes” interview that “this is a perfectly good car.”

The interview further showed Bezos’ frugality from his office in Amazon’s then headquarters — wedged between a heroin needle exchange and a “porno parlor.” Standing in front of Bezos’ desk, which was made of a wooden door and sitting on a dirty carpet, Simon asked why the CEO’s working conditions weren’t nicer.

Bezos said, “it’s a symbol of spending money on things that matter to customers.”